“Cruel and ineffective”: Maria, a 25-year-old Russian, is outraged at having to consult a psychologist because she does not want children

The Russian government is raising its voice against Russian women who do not want children. After the financial incentives, the authorities are pushing their cursor further to counter the declining birth rate, by recommending that doctors send women who do not want children to a consultation with a psychologist.

But at a time when Russia is continuing its massive offensive in Ukraine launched four years ago, Maria, who lives as a couple in Moscow, does not imagine herself “in the role of mother”. “I don’t see how having children would make me happier. Of course, I could change my mind,” this 25-year-old computer scientist told AFP, asking that her anonymity be preserved. “But the state is doing everything to prevent that from happening.”

However, when Maria speaks of development, the government responds to the survival of the community. Vladimir Putin, who defends a very traditional vision of the family, has long raised the specter of “extinction” if his fellow citizens continue to be reluctant to have children.

Russia’s birth rate is at its lowest level in 200 years, at around 1.4 children per woman, well below the threshold of 2.1 that demographers say is necessary to stabilize the population.

Fines of 4,200 euros for propaganda

Psychological consultation comes in addition to the ban on “propaganda” of refusal to become a mother in the media, which is punishable by a fine of up to 400,000 rubles (around 4,200 euros) for individuals.

Maria considers the efforts to get Russia out of the demographic rut “pitiful”. In recent years, abortion laws have been significantly tightened, forcing private clinics in most regions to ban the practice.

“They want to force women to have children, deprive them of their right to abortion, brag about the supposedly enormous amounts of family allowances, send them to the psychologist,” Maria is indignant. “Crushing, coercing, leaving no choice, it’s cruel and totally ineffective.”

She cites what could make her change her mind: “social guarantees, adequate income, the possibility of having your own housing. And the main thing: calm and security.”

From financial difficulties to “the absence of a culture of fatherhood”

The offensive against Ukraine and the international sanctions it led to have boosted inflation, among other deleterious effects. Interest rates for home loans have soared to 20%.

“We must first ensure the conditions so that women want a child and not put pressure on them,” says Anastasia, a 29-year-old specialist in child rehabilitation.

The young woman, who does not wish to have children, mentions in particular the “financial” reasons for her decision: “I don’t see how I could buy an apartment with my (monthly) salary of 100,000 rubles”, approximately 1,060 euros.

But she also cites “the absence of a culture of fatherhood”. In Russia, “few men are involved in raising children,” says Anastasia: after a divorce, “women are left alone with their children.” Russia ranks third in the world for the number of divorces.

“Women have the right not to want children”

According to a survey by the Russian institute VTSIOM carried out at the end of 2024, the main reasons are “financial difficulties” (46%) and “destructive behavior” of one of the spouses, including infidelity, alcoholism and domestic violence.

Margarita, an English teacher who cannot have children for medical reasons, fears that the ministry’s initiative will “damage the psychological health of women” who do not want or cannot have children because “they will be considered outcasts.”

Many mothers interviewed by AFP also criticize the initiative. “Women have the right not to want children. What is the point of bringing unwanted children into the world under duress? “, says Irina, a 45-year-old doctor and mother of two children.

Russian men interviewed by AFP are less categorical. Like Maxime, 49, who emphasizes that the directive from the Ministry of Health “is a recommendation and not a constraint”. “Women who refuse to have children are unhealthy,” he says.